August 18 & 19, 2007

Saturday we decided the new Executive Committee for the JASC. If I haven’t mentioned already, the whole conference is student organized and run. There is a lot of support by many people, obviously ($250,000 budget!) but really it is put together by people who participated like me the year before. It really is a great opportunity, but I personally had no interest in running, for time reasons, and because the conference will be in America next year and that wasn’t as appealing as coming to Japan! Anyway, that took up most of the morning, and then we had to go way down south to have a meeting with high school students. Most everyone was ready to be done with the conference after the final forum and all, and we had to walk through dreadful heat for a long way, but it ended up being pretty neat. (and the walk was through beautiful fields of rice - pictured at left)

The school we visited was actually a Buddhist University! We were treated to a show of some Shingon priests (a very esoteric sort of Buddhism) doing chants, and then I personally had a chance to speak with them, although my Japanese is very rough. Also fortuitous was that a Buddhist nun was in attendance, although you wouldn’t have been able to tell by her dress. She was a lay nun, and as such was free to marry and not live in a temple. We also talked for a bit – it was cool to meet my first Buddhist nun considering my interest! She told me about a conference coming up and gave me information.

At the school, I also tried my hand at sutra copying, which is kind of difficult but a great meditative practice. The high school and college kids left, and we were treated to a sake tasting! We were able to sample sake from the Fushimi region, which is said to be excellent, as well as some from Shikoku and other places. Sake in Japan is very good in fact, much better than it seems to be in the US.

We had a bit of free time and headed back to the major shopping/downtown area of Kyoto. When I say shopping, you might conjure up an image of a street lined with several shops, but in Japan it seems they take that idea to the next level. You are literally bombarded with so many shops jumping out at you from every which way. I am about tired of shopping in large groups, but luckily we didn’t have to for long, and we settled into a restaurant for dinner. I love Korean food! The best is a dish called “bibinba” which has rice and other ingredients (mine had raw beef) that come in this really hot individual size bowl. An egg is cracked on top and it is all stirred. Very good. Kimchee is very good and spicy as well.

Ended the night with my first taxi ride in Japan. The whole steering wheel on the other side thing is still difficult to get used to, but the taxis are a far cry from American ones. For one, there are doilies – white lace doilies – on every seat. Also, the driver wears a snazzy little uniform and hat, much like a bell boy. It was a comfortable ride.

Last night we all stayed the night in a Buddhist temple, which sounds really cool, but we didn’t get there till after 11, so we couldn’t see anything and the room upstairs was hot as hell! Nevertheless, I turned on some tunes and dozed off, knowing the next day would be long.

I was set to attend a Zen meditation at 6 or so in the morning. Well, when 6 or so arrived, I decided I couldn’t do it, so I slept in and woke up after 7. Luckily for me, the group left really late, so I actually went! We travelled all the way across town, which takes almost an hour, but we eventually arrived at Kenniji, a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect. It was simple and beautiful. A few monks led us to a tatami room with zafu (meditation pillows) all in a row. He gave us basic instructions for zazen, which is seated meditation. It is the cornerstone of Zen practice. I mentally prepared myself for about an hour or so of silence and counted breaths, but actually the mindfulness bell dinged four times about 10 minutes in, and it was over! I assume the monks were busy, but they let us wander around the grounds after, which was nice. Kyoto is so amazing: the architecture, the greenery, the stone, the wood. Wonderful.

Everyone else wanted to head back to Ritsumeikan University to shower, but I figured I was already right in the mix of things and wanted to stay. Yeah! My first time alone in Japan! I knew I wanted to go to Sanjusangendo, a temple dedicated to Kannon, my fave bodhisattva. This one is extra special – its main feature is a large hall occupied by 300 life size Kannons, carved out of ancient wood. In the middle sits a huge Kannon. It was so overwhelming I had tears in my eyes when I walked in. Pictures are not allowed, and nor should they be, so I cannot show it, but it was very spiritual and sacred. The following picture is from the grounds, though. The bright vermillion perfectly complements the stele inscription from Honen (a huge figure in Japan's history of Buddhism!!)

After wandering alone for a while afterwards on the extra safe streets of Kyoto, I decided to head back. Feeling hungry, I stopped by a conbini for nigiri, which is a seaweed covered rice ball with various fillings. I couldn’t read the kanji to see what kind it was, but when I opened it, I knew I had made the fateful choice of getting natto. Natto is for many foreigners a dreaded food. It is fermented soybeans they saw smells like feet and has a very strange stringy texture. I have been saying all along that I would try everything on this trip, so I swallowed my pride and bit in….it tasted kinda good! A little like vinegar, not anything bad like I thought. I ate the whole thing and was very proud of myself.

The heat today was so draining I had to lay in bed for a little while before heading back out, but when I did I visited two more temple complexes right near where I am staying. The first is called Kinkakuji, and is a big golden temple that sits on the edge of a pond. Very serene and lovely. The second was a Zen complex called Ryoanji. The first picture is a beautiful Buddha hidden in the trees! Ryoanji is most famous for a huge rock garden that represents simplicity, a very Zen idea. The grounds were in a hilly, almost forested area, and moss grew on everything. It was so wonderful. I love Zen. I love Kyoto.

I am now getting ready to pack and say goodbye to most of my new friends from the conference, but I am ready. I can’t wait to start my adventure with Dan!